New Jersey under state of emergency as Tropical Storm Isaias brings heavy rains, strong winds

Residents are encouraged to stay off the roads due to dangerous driving conditions. 

All state offices will be closed. Non-essential government employees will not report to work, but essential employees are expected to adhere to their usual schedules. 

New Jersey's Emergency Operation Center will remain open for the duration of the storm. 

Murphy instructed people to take down all temporary structures, including tents and umbrellas. Outdoor furniture and other loose objects should be secured or placed indoors. 

Wind gusts could reach as high as 73 mph.

Tornado warnings were issued Tuesday morning for certain parts of Philadelphia, Montgomery, Chester, Delaware and Bucks counties. A tornado watch remains in effect until 4 p.m. 

As of 9:30 a.m., PECO had 78 power outages impacting nearly 1,500 customers in Pennsylvania. PSE&G had four outages in South Jersey affecting 136 customers. 

Isaias was upgraded to a Category 1 hurricane before hitting North Carolina on Monday night, sustaining winds of 70 mph before arrival. It was downgraded to a tropical storm Tuesday morning.

Two people were killed and extensive damage occurred in the Caribbean over the weekend as Isaias swept through the Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico and the Bahamas. In Florida, beaches and parks were closed as officials adapted shelter policies to account for COVID-19.